As the National Institutes of Health continues to push its “All of Us” Research Program forward – an ambitious effort to gather data for over a million people living in the U.S to accelerate precision medicine research – medical professionals are also banding together to advance the science of precision health at the Powering Precision Health Summit (PPHS). After launching the conference last year, we are expecting that PPHS 2017 will be even bigger and more impactful, with over 500 attendees from around the world. We are thrilled to announce our speaker listthat includes some of the brightest minds and industry thought leaders, spanning the gamut from leading researchers and academics to patients and scientific engineers – all who are working tirelessly to transform precision health.

Don’t just take my word for it though. Hear from our impressive roster of speakers from last year, many of whom are returning to the stage once again, about why the time is now for a precision medicine movement and the importance of this event in accelerating it.

“This is an extraordinary group of people to bring together to have a discussion at a particularly exciting time in precision medicine. I'm really excited about some of the connections we made today. I think the organizing committee brought together a very eclectic group, a very diverse group across disease areas, and across academia and industry. And a lot of the ideas that came out of today had very clear follow-on discussions that can happen and new collaborations that can be formed. So I think it created an impetus to continue the discussion, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the group can do next.” - Grace Colon, InCarda Therapeutics and ProterixBio

“I think there is a tremendous amount of optimism about the new technologies that are being brought to bear, both from the genetics field but also from the protein diagnostics arena, which is what this meeting is all about, that we think will have a dramatic effect on health care. It's the early days; it's possible that some of the things that we are discovering are going to be incredibly important, and are going to really change the way people are diagnosed in a wide variety of diseases. But as I said, it's early days, so a lot of research and a lot of work remains to be done to get to a place where they're going to make a difference and change the course of these dreadful diseases.” - Dr. David Walt, Harvard University

“We are the only profession in the world that doesn't know its gold standard. We can diagnose disease reasonably well and its progression to death, but we can't diagnose wellness and its progression to disease. And it's in that regard that the assessment tools that are being discussed in pre-symptomatic disease management, will become essential for us to define the pattern of wellness, ultimately to slow or prevent its progression to disease.” - Dennis Ausiello, Massachusetts General Hospital

“I think it’s a great idea to get people together and discuss how new biomarkers increase the sensitivity of cardiac and cancer assays, and how all the biomarkers can drive precision medicine, how they can contribute to choosing the right diagnostic tools and right therapy for the patients.” - Petr Jarolim, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute

“We're at a time now where we must develop ways of detecting meaningful changes to the brain after getting hit. We can't rely on people reporting symptoms. We can't rely on coaches saying oh, that kid just had a big hit. And we can't rely on just focusing on the concussions. We need great sensitive measures, using wonderful new digital technology, to detect what is going on in the brain when people get hit. That's the starting point, so we could hopefully remove those people from the game, hopefully know when they should go back, when they are recovered. Perhaps know when people have had enough and they need to retire from the sport. We are at a time now where we need to use new technology, new digital biomarkers, to be able to detect brain injuries, these mild things, so we can, first of all, keep our kids healthy and safe, but then perhaps prevent them from going on to develop a brain disease later in life.” - Dr. Robert Stern, Boston University School of Medicine.

“Apart from the fact that it's a great array of scientists presenting, I’m excited to hear about the advances in biomarker development and the technologies applied to that biomarker development. Highly sensitive detection systems, being able to look at proteins now and detect proteins at levels that weren't seen before, and really allowing us the potential to diagnose disease much earlier. And if you can diagnose disease much earlier, we've got a better chance of helping the overall course of the disease for the patients. So, it's a very exciting day!” - John Houston, PhD. Avinas LLC​Precision health means something different to every individual. For some, it’s a personal connection that they have to the term because of a loved one they lost that could have benefited from personalized treatment. For others, it’s a promising technique fueling their research and propelling medical advancement around the world. Whatever the case may be, we hope that you’ll join us on October 24 – 25 in Cambridge, MA. to learn about the latest research, technological advancements, as well as personal struggles and triumphs to turn today’s sick care into true, preventative healthcare. Join the movement here: http://www.pphsummit.com/.

“If you come across a situation that looks impossible, you can cower under it or you can take it head on. My son took it head on.” – Nancy Frates, ALS Patient Advocate, Co-Creator of the Ice Bucket Challenge with son Pete Frates

Building a movement takes a village. We’ve all heard that phrase before – it takes a village – but in my opinion it has no greater application than it does when applied to revolutionizing healthcare. With everything we do as far as being science-driven, we must also marry that work with the patient advocates that truly motivate and inspire us.

The energy running through this summit right now is like nothing I’ve ever seen. And it’s been further rooted this morning by a charge from a true inspiration to us all: Nancy Frates. We had the fortune of hosting Nancy on Day 2 of the Powering Precision Health Summit, where she shared her family’s story with us, walked us through the birth of the Ice Bucket Challenge and all awareness her son, Pete Frates, has been able to generate and articulate for ALS in front of new demographics and generations. Above all, Pete succeeded in getting all walks of life to literally “dip their toes in philanthropy” and demonstrate that they can make a difference by becoming part of the solution.

Our health can oftentimes bring us to our knees. But it’s how we decide to play it that matters most. This is the lesson Nancy shared with us today, and I couldn’t agree more. Right now we’re doing everything in our power to inspire the best minds in our industry to continue innovating for those that can’t advocate for themselves and for all of those fighting a disease who deserve a fighting chance.

The more we interact with one another and partner with one another to enrich disease understanding, the more successful we will be. As part of that, advancements in digital biomarkers are key to making important decisions in clinical development and essential to assessing what therapies will be needed by specific patient populations now and in the future.

Also speaking this morning was my good friend at MassBio, Bob Coughlin, who articulated this so well when he said it’s all about what’s next. We have to change the paradigm and be about what’s next. I love that. If we talk about what’s next and convene the best minds, we will get there. In Boston in particular, we started the revolution in healthcare, and we intend to continue leading the way in Massachusetts and beyond. It’s also an assertion Nancy shared with us this morning in describing Pete’s reaction to his diagnosis. She acknowledged his determination to “not look backwards, but forward,” and his ability to interpret his situation as “an opportunity to change the world.”

We also had the pleasure of welcoming representatives from two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies on our panel this morning: Dr. Jeff Dage from Eli Lilly & Company and Dr. Alfred Sandrock from Biogen. Through their discussion, it’s clear we are on the cusp on new treatments in large part because we are collectively moving to molecular-based diagnosis, figuring out what these diseases are based on, and putting ourselves in position to treat illness before symptoms present. Understanding the accumulation of proteins at the molecular level can already be done. As they explain, it’s in this combination of seeing disease early and developing treatments where the real opportunity lies in putting disease behind us.The true inflection point will be when we have biomarkers that can show therapeutic effect. It was Sir Isaac Newton that said we can see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. I wholeheartedly believe in that. As these leaders shared, it’s not always the first effort that is the best one, but it’s that first one that gives us an understanding of how to make a better one. Innovation lies in recognizing the breakthroughs and advancing on them. This is where we will make a difference for patients in the long term.

And that’s the end game, right? To get treatments to the patients. As Nancy articulated to a standing ovation this morning: “Bring your patients into your boardrooms, into your labs, and into your hearts. We all have a story of someone in our lives that is struggling. Technology is enabling us to communicate and share, but it’s our personal stories of hope and determination and grit that propel us forward. It’s our time to disrupt.”

Nancy, I speak on behalf of all of us in the precision health movement when I say I couldn’t agree more. That is exactly why we brought you, former NFL players and the military into our sessions to help us inspire this incredible opportunity to transform healthcare. We said at the outset of this movement that we could slash healthcare costs by 40 percent, increase access of average citizens by 60 percent and increase productive life expectancy by eight years! If these two days of scientific debate, collaboration and inspiration are any indication of our progress and potential, lookout because we have all cylinders firing and are ready to propel precision health to the next level of transformation! ​Thank you for joining us for PPHS 2017 and I look forward to seeing you next year for PPHS 2018! In the meantime I welcome you to share your thoughts, feedback, impressions and comments with me so we can continue these important conversations and debate.